Saturday, July 30, 2016

Cascade Lakes Relay - 07/30/16 - Bend, OR

Saturday – July 30, 2016
Cascade Lakes Relay
Bend, Oregon

We enjoyed a leisurely auto tour of the Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway today. While traveling on the Century Drive Highway leg of this trip we encountered the Cascades Lakes Relay event. There were 203 teams, comprised of Running and Walking teams, that competed in this relay from Diamond Lake to Bend. The stamina exhibited by these competitors traversing the steep elevations of the relay route was absolutely amazing.

The Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in central Oregon. It runs for 66 miles in the rugged country of Deschutes and Klamath counties on the east side of the Cascade Range. It offers particularly good views of Mount Bachelor and provides access to many recreational facilities in central Oregon. The route is so named because it weaves past a number of small natural lakes along the Cascades, as well as several reservoirs on the upper Deschutes River.

The Century Drive Highway begins at an interchange with US-97 (the Bend Parkway) in Bend. It heads west along Colorado Avenue and Century Drive, which it follows to the entrance to the Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, where Century Drive Highway ends.

A turnoff on the Century Drive Highway leads to the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort. With nearly 3,700 acres of lift-served terrain and a 3,365-foot vertical drop, it’s the largest ski area in Oregon, with deep dry snow that often last into June. In summer, hikers and sightseers can ride the chairlift to the Pine Marten Lodge at an elevation of 7,775 feet for views that stretch from Washington to California.

Tomorrow another adventure begins.

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